Lessons in Life
by SouthernBella04
Summary: Gio didn't always want to be making sandwiches. However, sometimes we have callings whether we want to hear opportunity calling or not. An opportunity arises for Gio to run the sandwich cart in a very unlikely place. How did Gio find Mode? H/B and G/B.
1. Broken Promises, Broken Dreams

_This is a fan fic inspired by the lovely Gio Rossi. It predates his arrival on Ugly Betty for the first few chapters. I hope you all enjoy. It explains how Gio got the job at Mode and then other things thereafter._

December 2006

I stepped out into the bitter cold and immediately I wished I was back inside. I watched as the trees began to collect snowflakes and develop into a winter wonderland. It was two weeks until Christmas and family members from Italy would be flying over to see me. At the mention of my name, I glanced over my shoulder and looked up at a window that had just opened three stories up.

"GIO! Come back inside. I'm sorry!" the female voice called down to me. I knew all too well that she wasn't sorry. I looked back at the trees collecting snow and intentionally ignored her.

"Come on baby! You know I didn't mean it." She continued to cry. Already I had drowned her out. Too many promises broken.

Her name was Natalie and she had been my girlfriend for a good three years. We met the last semester of my Junior year in college. The year was 2003, when I actually knew what I wanted to do with my life. English was always a passion of mine and I wanted to analyze and critique literature. I had a gift of being upfront and good with words, well in a manner of speaking. I was always the analyzer and never one to jump into anything without thinking. Natalie was the typical girl next door. She was incredibly beautiful and exceptionally intelligent. This was the semester that changed my life.

Hard times came for my family, which created a rift in my career choices. I had another love besides literature, cooking. I was gifted especially with sandwiches. I wanted to prove that I could make a plain old sandwich into something better. The only sandwich that was too plain to change was egg salad. I met and fell in love with Natalie around this time. She accepted the fact that I could no longer keep myself going through college. Two years passed and we were passionately in love, until another brick hit the wall.

About a year ago, I found out that she had cheated on me with a much older man. As hurt as I was, I didn't show it much. I was never one for showing my feelings. Naturally, I forgave her because I knew that humans all have their faults. Then, today it happened again and I knew this was a fault that I could no longer live with.

"You had your chance!" I yelled up to her. I could see my breath through the bitter cold air.

Natalie was quiet for a minute, but then responded. "I never knew what I saw in you! Come on, why should I waste my life waiting for you to change into a better person, when I know you'll always be 'that guy selling sandwiches' for the rest of your life." She sneered. She paused and continued, "I deserve better."

I sighed. "You know what? You're actually right Nat! You do deserve better…" I paused and knew that my next comment would completely piss her off. I smiled to myself. "You deserve someone better equipped to deal with all of your lying and cheating. It won't be me anymore." I began to walk away.

"Don't walk away from me!" she yelled down to me, in a pleading manner.

"Nat, that's funny…but you said that to Richard last night. Perhaps he could be your next victim because he listened to you…all night long! Goodbye Natalie, I wish you the best of luck in the future because I'm no longer in yours." With that, I walked away completely.

From an early age, I knew I wanted to live in New York. I lived in Queens on my own. I worked hard to take care of my family and especially help provide for my sister Antonella. She was intelligent and witty and was often compared to me. Beating the snow off of my shoes, I entered my cold flat.

"I forgot to pay the damn heat…" I muttered to myself as I tried to find some blankets to help keep me warm. I sighed and looked over at my answering machine. It was blinking and so I pressed the 'play' button.

Gio…is that you? I hope you're not there and ignoring our calls. Anyway, Giselle and Francesca will be arriving from Italy next Saturday. I need you to pick them up at the airport for me. Oh this is mom by the way! Gio…I hope you're not scrawny and that you have plenty of food to eat.

I grinned and wondered why my mother always had to announce who she was, like I hadn't gotten to know her voice in my 25 years of living. I looked over at my small Christmas tree with very little ornaments and then wandered into the kitchen to make myself a sandwich. I turned on the light and rummaged around in the kitchen.

"At least I didn't forget to pay the electric bill…" I told myself.

With a sandwich in hand, I sat in front of the television and flipped through the channels. There was nothing on, so I settled with FashionTV. They were going on about some Fey Sommers chick I had never heard of. Mode magazine was named in the process, whatever the hell that was.

A week passed and before I knew it, I was standing at JFK waiting for my aunt and her daughter to arrive. I hadn't seen either of them in a few years. It was then, that I first saw her. She had a handful of papers and was bustling through the open area. I watched in slow motion as she missed the 'Wet Floor' sign and slipped, with the papers flying everywhere. I seized the opportunity.

"Usually, the 'Wet Floor' sign implies that you need to watch where you're going." I said in my usual sarcastic and flirtatious manner.

"Usually, people consider it impolite to stare at a stranger." She quickly replied without smiling. I loved a girl with a tongue.

"Why all the important papers?" I asked helping her pick up the papers. "You know they have a limit to the amount of items you can take on board." I managed a smile.

"It's not your business what I do with these papers and if you're not careful, I will find a nice place to store them…" she gazed acidly at me.

"Ooo…I see how it is. Well, I promise to be careful, on one occasion." I paused and waited for her to nod, which she did. "We should go over to that coffee shop and I'll buy you a cup. Then, I can comment on the fact that you can't read very well." I chuckled to myself as she began to swell up with anger. "…but of course it must be hard to read when you've got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen." I searched her impassive face and held out my arm.

"Well, I guess I could have….one cup of coffee." She sighed and took my arm. "I'm Adrienne Hamilton." She smiled.

"Gio Rossi, Sandwich Connoisseur. " I replied as I walked her over to the coffee shop.

An hour passed of us basically insulting each other in a flirtatious way before it came time to pick up my aunt and cousin. She gave me her number and promptly walked away, glancing over her shoulder every few seconds. I motioned for her to watch where she was walking and grinned. I looked at my watch and made my way to the waiting area and waited for another 30 minutes.

"Gio….my beautiful baby nephew!" Aunt Giselle replied as she kissed me on both cheeks. "You remember you cousin, Francesca?" she asked motioning over to a goddess.

I did a double take as I saw her. She was absolutely gorgeous. Her straight, yet waxy hair fell down just below her shoulders. Her perfect teeth sparkled and as I looked around, other bystanders were definitely taking notice. She used to be an ugly duckling with buckteeth.

"Her English is not very good…so forgive her. She works as a model now." Aunt Giselle replied happily. I continued to stare at Francesca.

"Hello…cousin…how are you?" she asked me very clearly.

It took me a moment to find any words. "I'm…I'm great…come on…let's get your bags." I stammered as I guided them through the airport. She glided like a goddess as we walked through the airport. All the men were staring because they wanted to be with her and all the women stared because they wanted to be her.

"My God Marc…You think I could ever look like that?" a girl asked a guy standing next to her.

"Oh no Amanda, you eat way too many carbs when you're depressed and moping over Daniel Meade at the Mode office." The guy replied. It was strange, but that thought seemed to comfort the girl. My head subconsciously turned to them as they said the word 'Mode'. I remembered hearing that on the television the week before.

Once we had their bags, I raised my hand for a taxi and helped my aunt and cousin into the cab.

"Welcome to New York." I said as I motioned to the skyscrapers coming into view.

"Not as nice looking as Milan." Francesca replied as she sat straight up, surveying the area.

New York was wonderful to me. There was always something to see and do. In New York, you were almost guaranteed to meet someone new. My thoughts were suddenly filled by Adrienne's name as we pulled into the Queens area.


	2. Atonement

_For the record, if you notice the time/consistency problem that I meant to throw in on purpose, I will give you a million dollars!:-) Alkali's caught it:-)  
_

A few months had passed and Adrienne and I began to see one another. The beginning of our relationship was strong and passionate. It was now February and things were different.

"Why don't we take dinner and watch the stars on the rooftop?" I suggested as she rested her head in my lap. I was brushing my fingers through her hair.

"Gio, it's too cold for that. Besides, we live in New York so the only star you'll see is the moon.

I cringed because the moon wasn't a star. "Alright, we can just sit here then." I grumbled. We remained sitting there and I was growing bored.

"Why do you always have odd ideas, Gio? It's not very natural." She commented n a sneering voice.

"Odd ideas, no. I think like a romantic. How about we build a fire and make s'mores or roast marshmallows and drink some wine." I suggested another thing to do. It was starting to frustrate me, the way she was acting. I hated to admit it, but she was beginning to bore the hell out of me.

"Well, s'mores just make my hands all sticky…" she whined.

"Fine…" I mumbled.

"What do you expect me to do Gio? She said defensively.

"I was just thinking of different ways to celebrate the special day." I said bitterly.

"What's today? She asked, but not sounding too concerned. I hesitated and wandered off quickly and returned with champagne and romantic music. I put the CD into the player and then gave her a wrapped gift.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" I tried to sound happy, but at the moment, she was not making me very happy. She had completely forgotten about Valentine's Day and made me feel awful.

"Oh, um…that's very sweet Gio." She said, trying to sound interested as she opened her gift. "Tickets to see _Phantom of the Opera_…wow…" her tone was not one of surprise or excitement.

"I thought it might be a romantic way to spend our evening. It starts at 10 tonight, so in a few hours." I managed a smile.

"Oh. Don't you think that's rather late?" she asked.

"Well, they have a special Valentine's Day showing of it. Is there something wrong?" I frowned. I probably wasn't going to like what she was about to complain about.

"I find this show kind of boring. Plus, in the movie, the men fought over her like a piece of meat. Completely anti-feminist." She sneered.

"Feminist? I was just trying to do something romantic. I happen to like _Phantom_ and I wanted us to have a special night together." I said solemnly.

"Well…I guess if it's something you wanted to do…I can pretend to enjoy it…for you." She said unenthusiastically.

"Look, I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want to do, Adrienne." I looked over at her.

"No, it will be perfect. I need to get ready and head over to my place. Um, I'll meet you there in a few hours." She kissed me on the forehead and started to leave, but stopped. "Can you do something about that ugly painting?" she pointed at a picture hanging on my wall and left.

I stared at the door that she left out of and began to wonder. Ever since we had gotten to know one another, she had been really rude. At times, people called me abrasive, but she was just being a bitch. We hit it off great, but the more time we spent together, the more frustrated with her I became. A family member dating back to the 1800's created the painting she insulted. I sighed and opened the unopened champagne. Sometimes, I wished there were other romantics out there. I did not feel appreciated with Adrienne. The phone rang.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Gio!" Antonella's excited voice said over the phone.

"Same to you too." I responded, trying to sound in better spirits.

"You and Adrienne enjoying your night?" Antonella stopped. "Wait…you don't have to fill in all the details." She laughed.

"Everything's going great, kiddo." I lied. "Tell mom and dad I said hello. Listen, I have to get going. Adrienne and I are going to see _Phantom_." I added.

"Gio! You are such the romantic. Adrienne's so lucky. Have a good night!" Antonella said and hung up.

I sighed. "Yeah, I'm a romantic that's in love with a non-romantic." I murmured.

The next hour, I took a shower and found my nicer looking clothes and made sure I was looking my best. I gathered the tickets Adrienne forgot on the sofa and headed out the door. I was not expecting the cool, crisp air that met my face. I made my way down the street and found a taxi on the side of the road.

"Can you take me to Broadway, pal?" I asked the cab driver.

"Get in." he said in a grumpy tone.

I hopped into the back seat and rode in silence, thinking about Adrienne. I loved her in many ways. Yeah, she was scatter-brained, but she was passionate. There was something about passionate girls that seemed to make me go for that type. Finally, we stopped.

"Anywhere in particular on Broadway, pal? You've got a whole strip of shows…" he said.

"I can walk from here." I said as I got out and paid the fare.

I wandered down the street and saw signs for dozens of shows. I had only seen a handful of the shows. I passed lovers holding hands and enjoying the special day set aside to celebrate a man who fought for young lovers to get them married. Finally, I was standing in front of the theater showing_Phantom_ and waited. I waited some more and looked at my watch. It read 9:55. I started to grow impatient and pulled out my phone.

"No messages…" I muttered to myself.

"Looks like you got stood up, mate!" a British guy passed with his girlfriend.

'She'll show…" I kept telling myself. I stood and waited. It was now 10:20 and I went ahead and decided to watch it alone.

"Just you tonight?" the ticket booth worker asked.

"Yeah. Just me." I said bitterly. I had worked a few extra shifts at my uncle's place to get front row tickets. I apologized to many people I passed as I tried to find my seat and sat down quietly.

I sat and watched each scene intently and obsessively checked my phone. I never got any messages. I grew frustrated, but the music soothed me. When intermission came, I stepped out into the lobby and checked my phone another time. Still, there were no messages. I called her.

"Hello…?" A tired voice answered.

"Adrienne, are you alright?" I asked. Her tone worried me.

"Fine…Gio…I was sleeping, but you woke me up. Is everything alright?" she asked.

"No. As a matter of fact, there's something bothering me." I said angrily.

"Gio, I'm tired, can't this wait?"

"No, it can't. You just stood me up and I'm pissed right now. We had plans for Valentine's Day and you completely forgot!" I turned to see a few people looking at me, but I didn't care.

"What?...Oh damn…I forgot Gio." She did sound sincere. "Look, I've had a lot of things on my mind recently. I'm so sorry. Let me make this up to you this weekend. I promise I can fix this baby." she was speaking quickly, trying to atone for her mistakes.

I sighed. "Alright, we can do something this weekend. Hey maybe we could go see_Atonement_." I joked. I was swept up by her apologies that I forgave her immediately.

"I promise, Friday night will be one to remember!" she exclaimed. The lights dimmed off and on.

"Oh, do I get a sneak peak?" I asked soothingly.

"Mr. Gio, you shall wait. This is well worth the wait." She said. "Goodnight baby." she said and hung up.

I flipped down my phone and strode back to my seat. There was something about Adrienne that made me forgive her easily. I understood how hectic life could be. I remembered a time when I had to always work late shifts in order to make ends meet. I watched the duration of the musical.

It was after midnight when I exited the theater and I wandered slowly down Broadway and passed several theaters where musical goers were leaving as well. I stopped when I noticed that there was a woman crying. I looked around to make sure this wasn't some type of plot to jump me and take my money. I walked over and tapped her on the shoulder.

"You alright miss?" I asked, feeling very concerned.

"Yes fine. Got a tissue?" she inquired, looking up at me. I handed her a tissue and saw that she had red hair.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I continued to stand next to her.

"Trouble with my boyfriend." She sniffed and blew her nose. "Why are men so horrible sometimes?" she asked me.

"They're not all bad. Trust me. Notice how I'm alone on Valentine's Day." She nodded as I told her about my plans and how they fell through.

"That's awful. Really, why would she stand you up like that? Anyway, I think my boyfriend has been up to something with someone. We've been trying a long distance relationship." She said sadly.

"I understand. It hurts." I admitted. "My last girlfriend cheated on me."

"Wow…sounds like you've been through a lot of heartache." She said and continued, "My boyfriend isn't like this. I haven't done anything wrong either. I just think that maybe he can't do the whole long distance thing. It's just a feeling I get though. I just got into town a few days ago and I rarely see him." She informed me.

"Maybe it's not what you think. I called my girlfriend during the show we were supposed to go see together and she told me she has just been really tired lately. Yeah, I'm angry, but I can understand."

"You don't meet many people who are understanding with these things. I do trust him, honestly. It's just the girl that is in his office has apparently been around him a lot. It makes me frustrated….but I trust him completely." She managed a smile as she dried her last tear.

"Do you need me to call you a cab or something?" I asked politely. "It's not safe to be around New York at all hours in the night." I laughed.

"No, thanks. I'll call my own cab." She paused and smiled. "Thanks for talking to me. Most of the people here in New York haven't been very nice to me. I got lost on the subway earlier and it freaked me out."

"No problem. The subways around here can be a little sketch at times." I reassured her. " You're not from around here. You don't have any accent. Where are you from, by the way?" I inquired.

"Oh, I feel like a complete idiot. I'm from Tucson. My name is Charlene, but people call me Charlie." She smiled as she shook my hand.

"Giovanni Rossi, but people call me Gio…affectionately." I grinned.

"Nice to meet you. Look…I should get going." She said wandering closer to the street as she held her hand up for a taxi.

"Look, here's my number if you ever need someone to talk to. Friends help through lots of relationship troubles. I know it's weird having a random guy giving you his number for non romantic reasons, but still…here it is." I quickly wrote it down and handed her my number.

"Thanks, Gio. I really appreciate it. I'm here alone in this big city, so if he's giving me any trouble, I will definitely call you. It means a lot." She said as she waved and entered the back of the cab and drove off.

I smiled as the cab drove out of sight. I didn't see her in any romantic way, but just as someone I could sympathize with. I sometimes felt the need to talk with strangers who had similar situations. They didn't know you well enough to form a bias on the situation. I walked down the Broadway strip until I held up my own hand for a cab.

As I rode back in the taxi, I thought of Adrienne. I was willing to give her another chance. Some might call it stupid, but I am a firm believer in second chances. Life never gave me second chances, so I needed to give others a second chance. I smiled and hoped Charlie would be alright with her relationship trouble.


	3. Setbacks

All good things must come to an end. My relationship with Adrienne did, only five months into the relationship too. She did have something planned that Friday and I'll give her credit for that. I was always the type of guy that wanted fire in a relationship, and with Adrienne, it was a snowstorm.

"Gio, I can't believe you're moping over a stupid girl." My sister watched me from the other end of the room.

"You'd better be nice. I'm watching you this weekend and I could easily throw you out." I grinned.

"That would be child abuse." She shot at me. She had more maturity than any child I ever knew.

"I want to see you try and report me." I replied bitterly. I was taking my breakup with Adrienne on my sister.

"I hate staying with you after breakups. You're even more abrasive than normal. Not to mention you're boring as well…" she smiled.

The phone rang and I answered it. "Hello?" The voice was in a panic.

"Slow down…" I tried to calm the voice down. "What?" I stopped dead in my tracks. It was a long pause and the voice rambled on. "No, why are you doing this? Look…I …I can't have this right now. You don't understand…." I pleaded. There was another long pause. "Yes, alright…if you need to. Thanks for the opportunity." I hung up and Nella looked at me curiously.

"What was that all about?" she inquired.

"I just got laid off. I've now joined the land of unemployment, thanks to Papa Milano's Pizzeria." I threw my hands up in anger and went into the kitchen for a beer and angrily popped it open and sat down on the sofa.

"So now what?" Nella asked.

"Find another job….I…I just can't believe it. Ma's gonna be so pissed. I really needed that money Nella. I just got my heat back a few months ago." I complained. It was now May and I didn't need the heat anymore.

"Is there anything else you can do for money?" Nella looked at me curiously.

"Yeah!" I brightened up immediately. "I can call Whole Lot of Fun." I looked at her and she caught my drift.

"Sorry…I was just asking." She said defensively. "You don't need to be a jerk to me. You'll find a way." She said positively.

"Let's get your stuff into my van. It's time to take you home anyway." I said dully as I placed my beer down and helped her with her things.

Half of the ride to my parents' house was quiet. I glanced at Nella every now and then, but her focus remained at the front. My family lived in the nicer part of New York than I lived in. As we passed Meade Publications, I glanced over to see that the media was there questioning some old man who was standing on a podium. I turned on the radio.

"…still no comment on the update of Alexis and Daniel Meade who recently got into a car accident while taking Daniel Meade to a drug rehabilitation center…" the radio announcer said. That had to be the reason why so many photographers were out in front of the building.

"Daniel Meade's assistant, Betty Suarez, refuses to comment much on the matter as well. She did say this, 'The concern over Daniel and Alexis is not for their health, but you just want the money. We'll, go find Paris or Britney. Their headshot is worth more.' The young woman who spoke for Daniel and Alexis clearly doesn't realize the implications associated with the scandalous news. Also, Wilhemina Slater has announced her engagement to Bradford Meade. Meade publications is booming with lots of juice. I'm Suki St. James and you're listening to Fashion Snap's 'Not." The update ended and a song began.

"…and I thought our family had problems." Nella said, breaking the silence between the two of us. "Anyway, that Meade assistant girl has bad public speaking skills…she's probably had to focus on her tiny image." Nella commented on the news.

I sighed. "It's just news for those who don't have anything better to do than meddle in the lives of celebrities." I said as we pulled into the driveway.

"Gio…there's something I have to tell you." Nella turned to me.

"You don't like my sandwiches….I knew I shouldn't have added the paprika!" I smiled wryly at her.

"No…seriously…it's about Ma." She looked out of the window to make sure no one was coming.

"She's worried about me…isn't she?" I asked. I rolled my eyes because my mother worried about me more than she should. I loved her though because she was one of the strongest women I knew.

"Ma has cancer." Nella spit out before I could throw another witty comment to her.

"What?" I was taken aback by the news. "What…what kind?" I stammered.

"She has breast cancer. She found out earlier this week." Nella began to tear up, which was something she didn't normally do.

"Nella, don't worry….I'll find a way to help." I reassured her as she stepped out of the van.

"Gio, she didn't want to tell you, because she knew that you already had enough on your plate with Adrienne and all. She didn't want to worry you about the money and all. Gio, she doesn't have the money." She then whispered. "Please…if there's anyway you can help…"

"I'll try." I frowned and waved and then watched my sister enter the house.

I drove back with the radio off. I didn't want to listen to the crap on the radio when I had more important things to worry about. My family was one of the most important things to me and I didn't want to have them worry about the money in order to come up with a way to get rid of the cancer. We weren't poor, but paying for cancer treatment doesn't make you any richer either. I hadn't even had the time to come up with a new job idea yet. This would be something that I would just have to think about later. It was getting late as I pulled into my driveway and I went straight to sleep.

"Giovanni, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." My mother told me the next morning over the phone.

"Ma, I want to help in any way that I can. I will do everything in my power to help you out financially." I insisted.

I heard her sigh over the phone. "It is the parent who should look after the child, not the other way around."

"You raised me to treat my family with respect. I need to help. I will not take 'no' for an answer. When is your treatment to begin?" I asked.

"October." She muffled.

"October! Why October? That's so far away. Are your doctors crazy?" I asked angrily.

"Giovanni, calm down. It will all be alright. I don't know why they want to wait, but I trust them, son." She said softly.

"Well that gives me time to gather up the money to help you."

"Gio…"

"It's part of my responsibility. I'll get the money whether you allow me to or not." I was not going to give up on getting the money to her.

"Thank you, son. I really appreciate it." She paused and then changed the subject. "Have you gone and annoyed anymore pretty girls?" she asked, in a happier tone.

"Ah, how did you know my strategy for getting their attention?" I questioned her.

"I know my Giovanni. You go for those smart girls and the only way to get their attention is to annoy them. One day Gio, you are going to meet your match. Don't keep going for looks though…those women…" my mother cautioned.

"Ma, I know. Look, after Adrienne…I have decided that looks won't be the first thing I think of. I don't want to get into any more relationships for a while now…" I trailed off.

"Don't hurt yourself in the process of the search. The right girl might be right under your nose and you don't know it." She reminded me and hung up.

I chuckled to myself as I reached for the paper. The front page was all about the Meade crisis and the status of the famous siblings. I quickly scanned the article and came across the name of Betty Suarez another time. I only recognized her name because I heard it on the radio the other day.

"Heaven forbid the Meade kids never wake up from their coma…" I commented to myself after reading the article. "Poor little rich kids…" I mumbled.

My cell phone rang suddenly. As I answered it, I thought of how popular I was with the phone calls this particular day. "Hello?" I answered.

"Um…Gio…?" a unfamiliar voice asked for me.

"Yeah, this is Gio. Who is this?" I asked defensively.

"Er…I'm not sure if you remember me or not. This is Charlie. I met you on Valentine's Day and told you all about my trouble with the boyfriend." She said as I suddenly remembered.

"Oh…yeah…Charlie…of course I remember you. How are things going with the boyfriend?" I asked politely.

"They're….alright…he's very distant with me. See, I found out I was pregnant with his kid and he doesn't really believe me…you see…I sort of cheated on him with an orthodontist." She sighed and then began to defend herself. "If he hadn't been with that assistant girl…I wouldn't have cheated on him. It's the girl…he's distant because of this girl that works in the office." She sounded very hurt.

"Ah, office romance. I was always for Pam and Jackson." I laughed a little.

"It's Pam and Jim." She sighed. "It's not funny. Look, he's just not very happy with me now. He's with me in Tucson, but his mind is elsewhere. What do you think I should do?" she asked, in a pleading voice.

"I don't know…hire some guy to distract the girl…." I laughed at my own joke.

"Hey….that's not a bad idea." Her tone perked up.

"Wait…no…I really wouldn't do that if I were you…it never turns out well for the one being paid. Plus, it's always cliché that the hired guy falls in love with the girl." I began to remember all of the movies that had someone being paid to do something with a girl.

"Trust me, that wouldn't happen with this girl." She laughed for some unknown reason. "Anyway, I love Henry and he's really hurt me. I need to do this…do you know anyone who would be willing to do it?" I asked.

"Freddie Prinze Jr." I offered and laughed some more. I remembered that he was paid to take the ugly girl to prom and then she blossomed and turned into someone beautiful.

"Would you be willing to do it?" she asked, ignoring my joke.

"Me…no….I would never do anything like that. I know what happens with those scenarios and they NEVER end well. I'm not that type of guy to be bribed or anything." I explained. I had never been hired to do any distracting.

"Look, I love Henry. I know that you're a romantic thinker. Please, I am begging you here. I don't want to loose Henry and this baby is going to be my only connection with him. I don't even know who the father is. The longer I can keep Henry out of the blue…the better. He's going to head back to New York soon. I need your help." She continued to plead.

I sighed. "Charlie…I can't…look I've got a lot on my plate and my mother is having health issues…" I knew I had said too much.

"I'll pay for it…any price…any at all. Please, Gio…I know I don't know you very much, but just do this for me." He begged.

I hesitated. "Alright…but only because I believe in a thing called love." I paused and continued. "Tell me about this girl…"

"Her name is Betty Suarez. She works as Daniel Meade's assistant. The rest is up to you. Find something that you've always wanted to do and work your way in. Wait for a few months though, until things calm down around here. Once I know Henry's next move I will let you know." I heard commotion in the background. "I have to go. Bye." She hung up abruptly.

It was the third time in one day that I heard the name of Betty Suarez. I tried to think of the creative way to get her attention. The only love I had was cooking and making sandwiches, but Mode girls were not the type to eat a grain of carbohydrates. Instead of worrying about distracting this girl, I decided to begin writing out my five year plan. I had a passion for sandwiches…and owning my own sandwich shop.

"Since I've got to sit around and wait for the next move, I might as well start my five year plan." I told myself. I was having a hard time putting my thoughts on paper. I thought about what I had just agreed to do, and felt very low. This wasn't like me at all. I never thought I would end up as one of the guys paid to distract a girl.

"As long as this doesn't end badly." I told myself. I threw all guilt aside as I suddenly got a great idea for a new sandwich creation. If only I could come up with a more clever way to make an egg salad sandwich, the most boring sandwich ever created.


	4. The Job Opening

"So, what do you think?" I asked as I pushed the sandwich to him.

"Hmm, not too bad Tio." He answered as he took a bite of the sandwich. As long as I impressed the main man of Mode, I was in.

"That's great…really. Look, I've been looking for a job for a while." I admitted honestly.

"Why would you choose Mode to have a sandwich cart? We got rid of the old guy named Robert because the girls caught on to the fact that bread has carbs in it." He grinned and took another bite of the sandwich. "Mmm..I have to admit Tio, that this sandwich is delicious." He said as he wiped the crumbs off his shirt.

"It's actually Gio." I corrected him. "Soo…what do you think?" I asked, looking at the young guy and hoping that he would give me the job.

"Why are you so persistent about having a job here…at Mode? You know, Cat Fancy needs a sandwich guy." He suggested.

"What did you say your name was?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Daniel Meade. Anyway, why Mode?" Daniel was being persistent.

"Well, I need to reach out and get my sandwiches out to a wider range of sandwich lovers…do you know how great it would be for my sandwich making business if people read that no-carb girls were eating sandwiches with two tablespoons of mayo?" I looked at him, hoping that he would give in.

"Well…you do make some sort of sense. How about we give you a trial run? Start Monday…but I'm warning you…Mode girls are insistent on what they want and when they want it, Tio." Daniel warned as he took another bite of the sandwich. "God, this is really good. It's like ecstasy in a Kaiser bun!" he licked his lips and gave me the thumbs up.

"Right…well…Monday then. I'll bring all the necessities for the sandwich, if you provide the cart." I said with a sly smile. I didn't even bother correcting him with my name. He honestly didn't look like the type that would remember anyone's name who didn't have a pair of boobs attached to their chest. Besides, I was only here for one reason, to keep watch over Betty Suarez.

"Sounds good, Tio. Monday…" Daniel Meade didn't even look up from his computer as he confirmed my new job.

"It's Gio…" I mumbled under my breath. I walked through the Mode office and smiled to myself. Phase one was already complete and ready to roll on Monday, no pun intended.

I couldn't believe that it was already October. Ma had just started her treatment for the cancer and I wasn't feeling the least bit guilty about anything. I wasn't going to get caught, and I would make sure of that. Charlie called me the end of September to tell me that her beloved Henry found out that she had been with the dentist and the baby might not be his. Of course, like she suspected, Henry went whining and crying to Betty, the other girl. I didn't know much about this Betty girl, other than seeing a picture of her that Charlie sent. Distracting her would be a synch. She didn't look like the type that would suspect anything.

I drove my van back to the apartment and listened to the messages that I had. The first message was from Ma. She already sounded tired after the first round of chemo. At first we were going to go the surgery route, but the doctors thought it best to try chemo. At least she was finally getting treated. Next, there was a message from Nella, begging me to come see her school play. I never missed family events for anything. In the middle of her message, my cell phone rang and immediately I picked up.

"This is Gio." I answered cool and collected.

"Gio, it's Charlie. I've already told you that Henry's back. Well apparently last night, Henry was over at Betty's. He's still pretty mad at me that the baby might not be his." She paused. "I know, I sound crazy…but anyway, any luck?" she asked suddenly. Charlie lately sounded like the type of girl that you would see in a stalker movie. Her romantic ideas, were beginning to sound crazy.

"First of all, you knowing a lot is scary…too scary. Second of all, how did you know that the sandwich cart job was vacant?" I asked her. It was she who suggested I go in and see Daniel Meade.

"Henry told me that the old guy left. Something about a bunch of skinny bitches who only ordered lettuce…anyway, just be thankful that you were given the job."

"Cool it. I'd like to think that my charm, good looks, and wit had something to do with it." I smiled to myself as I answered her. "Don't worry. I got the job and I start Monday. Should I approach her or what?" I asked, trying to contemplate my first move on the 'other girl'.

"No, she'll come to you. All you have to do is ring that sandwich cart bell like an ice cream man and she'll come running." Charlie sneered. I had to admit that Charlie had a bit of an evil streak to her. Then again, I hadn't met too many get-what-they-want women.

"Don't you think that's a little harsh, Charlie?" I asked her curiously. This Betty girl had to be the epitome of evil in order for Charlie to dislike her so much. Then again, I didn't know Charlie too well myself.

"I'm past harsh. Keep me posted." Charlie said abruptly and hung up.

I spent the weekend at home and spending time with my family. Nella and I spent the afternoon and evening on both Saturday and Sunday decorating for Halloween.

"Gio, you know nothing about decorating. Don't put the black spider next to the dead body." Nella grabbed a giant stuffed spider out of my hands and placed it on a gigantic spider web.

"What does it matter?" I asked bitterly, wiggling the fake dead body's arm.

"It just does. Anyway, mom's doing a little better…she's tired…but better." Nella informed me.

"That's good to hear." I answered quickly.

"Where'd you get the money, Gio?" she asked. I had the feeling she would ask me this question and it wasn't her concern.

"It's not your concern where I go it. It's just important that I got it." I said, not looking at her.

"You're not doing anything illegal that would play on the Italian stereotypes?" she raised her eyebrow.

"Damn…I knew I should have hidden the dead bodies under the stairwell…" I laughed and began to hang some lights.

"I'll find out what you're up to, Gio…you're sneaky…" Nella fidgeted with the spider web.

"I got a job." I said matter-of-factly.

"Where? At a pizzeria?" she joked.

"No, at a fashion magazine." I grinned.

"Fashion magazine…you….this…coming from the guy who wears bowling shirts out in public? You need a talk or two before you continue going out in public." She commented as she eyed my wardrobe.

"I'm the sandwich guy at Mode." I grinned more broadly.

"I hope you're not getting paid on commission, because those skeletons won't buy anything. If they don't buy, you don't get paid." She laughed. Suddenly, I heard my mother call us in for dinner. It was Sunday night and time for our usual big family gathering for dinner on Sunday night.

The rest of the night went by quickly and before I knew it, I was lying in bed trying to get to sleep. Tomorrow was a busy day and my first day as the sandwich guy at Mode. For some reason I grew restless. I wasn't the type to worry, but thinking about the real reason I was at Mode and not some other magazine mad me worried. I knew that I was there for one reason, and one reason only…distract the Betty girl. Finally, I fell asleep.

* * *

"Ok, and who are you? We're not installing a bowling alley are we?" sneered a snooty girl, who I later found out to be a receptionist named Amanda.

"No, I'm the sandwich guy, hence the bag of bread, meat, and condiments." I said sarcastically as I held up a huge bag with all the makings of a sandwich. If the Betty girl was anything like Amanda, I would have no problem with the job Charlie had for me.

"Oh, follow me….don't touch the dog. It's sensitive to foreigners…" she sneered as I followed behind her. I couldn't help but laugh to myself. She was full of herself, hot, but full of herself. Plus, the dog looked diseased.

"Here's the cart. Enjoy, just don't expect to be living out of it." She rolled her eyes and walked away. I stared at the cart for a moment and then quickly began to assemble the sandwich cart. I was to start at noon and I looked at my watch, 11:52, time for action. I rolled the cart to the location Daniel Meade told me to be at and I waited. Noon hit and I rung the bell.

I glared at the long line of skeletons waiting for a sandwich, or lack of one. Most ordered lettuce and meat. It was amazing how little these women ever ate.

"Ok, chicken and cheese special on the baguette, no chicken and no cheese and no baguette." I handed the lack of a sandwich to a skeleton with black hair and she strode away. Chicken and the cheese was the best part, in my opinion. I suddenly looked up to see an out of place girl standing in front of me.

"I just sold her a plate of lettuce for seven bucks." I said to the girl with a grin. She smiled back out of politeness. I noticed that she had braces and hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed for a while. Suddenly, it hit me, she was Betty. I definitely wasn't expecting her response.

"Yeah, but that's for breakfast, lunch, and dinner." She said with a grin. Wow, she was a witty girl. This was something Charlie didn't tell me about. It was time to turn on my own wit and personality. She ordered her food and to my surprise, she didn't exclude anything.

"Yes… man, I knew you were an eater." Maybe I said that a little too excitedly, I thought to myself.

She was a little taken aback by my abrasiveness, but continued to carry on small talk with me, asking me about the old sandwich guy and so on. There was something about her that allowed me to want to have fun with my wit and sarcasm. She didn't seem the least bit offended. Maybe this was going to be harder than I thought. I looked at her intently as she welcomed me and wandered off to attend to her boss. I couldn't help but watch her as she left.

As I wheeled my cart away after a long day of serving skeletons, she returned, complaining about the amount of sun dried tomatoes I put on her sandwich. I was glad that it wasn't a hair in her sandwich that was the problem.

"Robert didn't know jack about food…" I replied to her as I wheeled the cart through the office. She continued to follow her like a puppy through the office and was starting to really annoy me, but in a fun kind of way.

"I want my sandwich, the way I want my sandwich." She demanded. I had to admit that she didn't do it in a rude manner, but it surprised me nonetheless.

"Wow." I said as I made a comment about my first impression of her being a girl from the 'hood and then went on to make another impression of her. "Now I see you're just like all the other spoiled little Mode girls.

It took five minutes to get her off my back and finally, I was on break. I decided to eat in the cafeteria and as I sat down with my tray, I saw her, glaring at me.

"Hey there…was my sandwich just a pre-lunch meal?" I asked scathingly.

"No, but when I wanted four sun dried tomatoes instead of three measly little ones, I decided to go with a whole new lunch." She crossed her arms. I couldn't help but laugh. "What are you laughing at, Robert's replacement?" she asked, not knowing my name.

"I'm laughing at the fact that you're going to let one sun dried tomato that was left off of a sandwich ruin a perfectly good turkey sandwich." I grinned. "By the way, I do have a name…other than Robert's replacement."

"Yeah and what is it? Probably something lame like Sam…or Sherman…or Simon…" she glared at me.

"What's with the S names?" I gave her a quizzical look.

"Well, all the other sandwich people always have an S to start off their name. Imagine how much better it sounds to be Sam the Sandwich Guy rather than Murphy the Sandwich Guy." She rolled her eyes at me as I started to laugh. "What?" she shot at me.

"Nothing. I just find it comical that you think just because I run the sandwich cart, my name starts with an S. Think Robert…" I reminded her. She suddenly sat down at my table, looking flustered.

"Right…" she trailed off.

"The name's Gio by the way." I informed her. "…and for the record…I have a secret ingredient that makes my sandwiches so delicious…come closer…no one else can know…" I motioned for her to come closer. She hesitated, but then followed my directions.

"What is it Gio, I don't have much time…" she said impatiently.

"Ever seen Sweeney Todd? Well lunch meat is getting pretty expensive and me being Italian and all…I make the most out of the people we knife…" I grinned as she looked at me with disgust.

"Eww…gross…now I know why I'll never speak to you again." She got up to leave and my grin broadened.

"You haven't told me your name." I informed her. "I need to know…because now you know too much." I smiled.

"It's Betty…and….and…I think you name…is lame…there, I said it and I even rhymed! Ugh….you…you just annoy me!" she announced loudly as she stammered with her words and walked away. Several people looked in our direction.

I chuckled to myself as she walked away. She was just as good as I was at playing these types of games. Trying to distract her from this Henry guy might be much harder than I thought. As I took a sip from the bottled water, I suddenly began to feel guilty about this assignment, for the first time. There was something about this girl that made me feel bad for playing her. I had to admit, that I got a thrill from seeing her each and every time today.


	5. Vanning Betty

_Hey guys! Well, this part of my fan fic crosses with some of the other scenes, but they are just not spoken verbatim (only because I'm summarizing what happens with my own dialogue)._

"I'm sorry, Mr. Meade, what did you just say?" my ears must not have been working properly.

"There's been a complaint about you. By the way, you may call me Daniel now…since you'll no longer be needed as the sandwich guy." He smiled and handed me cash.

"So what are you saying?" I asked. He hadn't come out yet and said that I had been fired, but this didn't sound too good.

"We're letting you go." He said simply.

"Uh, Daniel…if this is about Betty's sandwich…." I tried to explain.

"I told you that things would be different around here." Daniel warned me and motioned for me to leave. I stared at him and left without another word. I gathered all of my stuff on the abandoned cart. That's when I saw her and decided to let her have it.

"Well, I hope you're happy…you went crying to your boss and had me fired!" I proclaimed loudly. Several people dropped their sandwiches and watched. I loved making scenes.

"What? I didn't mean to get you fired!" she exclaimed.

"Well you did! You're just like all these Mode girls…see you around Mode Girl!" I said bitterly and exited after giving some fun facts about mayonnaise.

I angrily began to put away all of my sandwich stuff in the back of the van. I had gotten fired and now needed another way to keep an eye on Betty if I were to get my next payment. Suddenly, I heard her annoying voice calling behind me.

"Hey…sandwich guy..Gio…wait!" I turned to see her catch up and look at me. "I'm really sorry…really…look, I talked to Daniel and you can have your old job back." She smiled and I noticed that her braces made a nice shiny gleam.

"Nah…I don't want it back…besides…I have a five year plan. I plan to open my own place and call it Gio's Sandwich Depot." I couldn't believe I was sharing her a true dream I had always had.

"Um…that's pretty cool." She said, although she sounded fairly unsure as to why I was not too broken up about getting fired.

"Anyway….I plan to have basically every condiment ever imaginable. You name it, I got it!" I exclaimed as I shut the door to my van.

"Mustard?" she asked. I was slightly taken aback by her unimaginative response.

"Come on, you can do better than that. Anyway, Betty…right? Well…it was nice seeing you again. Anytime you want to get me fired, I'd love to see you, but complain that you found a roach in your sandwich." I said as I left her there and headed for the driver's door. I entered and started the van. Then, to my annoyance, she popped up in the passenger seat.

"Look, I need to get something for my boss and you have a van…." She began.

"Way to state the obvious…I always knew you were incredibly smart." I shot at her as she rolled her eyes.

"Ok, anyway….I need to pick up a special wheelchair for Daniel…it's in New Jersey and we'll pay you." She said with a smile. This was actually going to work out great for me. I would get to know her better and maybe get her to talk about this Henry guy.

"Sure, I've got nothing else to do today. After all, you did get me fired." I had to throw that at her. She glared at me, but said nothing.

We rode in uncomfortable silence for about 15 minutes. Every once in awhile I would steal a glance at her and she would look nervously out of her window.

"What? Afraid the boyfriend is going to be jealous that you're vanning it with a hot dude?" I asked with a nice smile, well nice for me.

"Vanning it? Did you graduate with poor vocabulary or something?" she asked acidly.

"Ouch, I like a girl with a sharp tongue." I smiled and turned on the radio. I smiled as a familiar song came on and I began to sing. "Un-break my heart….say you love me again….take it away Betty!" I sang and then turned to her. I was surprised that I turned to her to finish the song. Whatever I had to do to get her talking was what I needed to do.

"Uh…undo this…this hurt that ….you caused…" she tried to sing, but I saw immediately that I struck an Achille's Heel with her.

"That's a hard song to sing." I said, feeling like an ass as I turned the radio off. She didn't look too offended. So, I proceeded.

"So why do you work there anyway?" I asked curiously, for my benefit and not Charlie's.

"It's a great opportunity. I want to be a writer someday." She announced. For some reason, I wasn't expecting this from her.

We continued witty banter all the way to the place where Betty needed to pick up Daniel's wheelchair. To my surprise, I really enjoyed her witty comments and her company, which was something I wasn't expecting to happen. We waited around for a few hours before we finally decided on a wheelchair for her boss and stopped outside in a local café.

"You surprise me." I found myself saying out loud to her.

"I what?" she asked, taking a sip from her water.

"Well one minute you go Mode girl on me and the next you're this down to earth writer girl who is very difficult to figure out." I verbally observed. She watched me cautiously.

"Look, I like it at Mode. They treat me…" she couldn't seem to find the words, so I decided to help her out.

"They treat you like the take out girl." I answered for her.

"No…no…really they don't. We're just like on big dysfunctional family." She insisted.

"Oh great…here comes the complaining again. Shall I 'quack' and you 'woof' or can we switch…I love a girl who's willing to try new things." I winked as she gave me a disgusted look. Clearly, she wasn't used to my sarcasm and humor.

"Please Gio. So what if I have a lot of things going on in my life. I find it weird that you appeared out of nowhere and poor Robert lost his job!" she began to raise her voice.

"I needed a job…I had to kill him…wanna know why I drive a white van around?" I smiled at her.

"You…you annoy me! Everything I say, you have to change around into some big joke or something! This is exactly why I didn't want to come with you!" she got up and several people watched as she made a scene.

"Sorry…" I apologized to the onlookers. "She just likes to start random arguments because she knows the makeup is good…if you know what I mean." I winked at a couple who smiled at me encouragingly.

"We're not a couple!' she barked and stalked off.

"That's my cue…if you'll excuse me!" I said gleefully as I was given the thumbs up by several men. Betty was hard to read and in order to gather any information; I would have to continue nagging the hell out of her.

"Hey Betty…sorry…" I ran up to her, catching my breath.

"Can you just take me back please? I've had enough time with you today to make me never want to eat a sandwich again." She gagged and helped herself into my van.

"Sure, if…if you'd like." I was stunned that she was actually annoyed by me. No girl had ever been this turned off by my charms.

The ride back was silent and when we finally parked in front of the Mode building I got out to help her out of the passenger side.

"I'm good thanks." She replied without even looking at me.

"Look, Betty….I'm really sorry….if I said anything that annoyed you." I felt bad for whatever I had done. Also, I had to finish the job Charlie set out for me to do.

"You wouldn't understand, Gio. Anyway, I'll have HR call you about a check for driving. Thanks." She turned abruptly and left me standing out on the street. I had never felt defeated by a girl before.

I stood alone for a minute wondering what my next move would be. To my surprise, I wanted to have the opportunity to see her again. Performing Charlie's job was not on my mind. As I turned tot head back to my van, my cell phone rang. Hopeful that it was Betty, I picked it up quickly. When I saw who it was, my face fell. I answered it.

"I got fired." I said blankly.

"You what? Now what am I supposed to do?" she asked angrily. Charlie had a flaring temper.

"I don't know. Look, I haven't made any progress with keeping an eye on Betty. Anyway, you didn't tell me she was a smart girl!" I exclaimed.

"How would you have reacted. Look…I still need you to keep watch on her…somehow…until I know what Henry has planned." Charlie begged.

"I really don't know…I feel a little odd…watching this girl." I brushed my hair out of my face and smiled at a model passing through the Mode doors and into the sunshine and sidewalk.

"How hard can it be?" she asked bitterly.

"Harder than you think. She did manage to get me fired on my first day. Anyway, I have a new plan…" I began, but Charlie cut me off.

"Great…well get on the ball then…I have got to go. Keep me posted."

"Wait…this plan has nothing to do with Betty…" she had already hung up, before I could explain to her.

"This is just great." I said to myself as I slipped into the driver's side and started the van. "I can't get out of this bind I have with Charlie. I've just got to continue with my five year plan. I won't need Charlie before long." I told myself as I drove off.

I went straight for the kitchen and decided to make myself a sandwich. I chuckled to myself remembering as Betty complained about her sandwich. I shrugged and decided to try a sandwich, made her way. To my surprise, it wasn't half bad. An idea suddenly struck me.

"I know how to keep me in her thoughts!" I said aloud to myself. I startled my cat. As much as I never admitted it to anyone, I was a closet cat lover. I quickly made a turkey sandwich with the amount of sun dried tomatoes she had requested the first time and grabbed my keys to head over to Mode.

"I am looking for Betty Suarez." I said to Amanda when I approached the front desk.

"She's out for some Mexican holiday involving tacos." She smirked and looked me up and down.

"I'll just leave this on her desk…." I informed Amanda as I walked away.

It was no surprise to me that Betty wasn't at her desk, so I dropped the sandwich off at her desk, attached with a note that read, "Tried it your way, not bad. –Gio" I smiled and turned to leave.

"Gio, what brings you here?" I turned to see Daniel Meade watching me suspiciously.

"Oh, I was just dropping off a bomb disguised as a sandwich." I joked. I thought for a moment and wondered if Daniel was the type that could take a joke. From his smirk, I knew I was safe.

"No hard feelings then? Look, Betty told me about your five year plan. I think it's great." Daniel admitted.

"She talked about me?" I asked, feeling very stunned.

"Yeah, you're all she talked about. Anyway, I'm late for a meeting." Daniel began to leave.

"Wait…Daniel…I thought you were in a wheelchair…" I looked at him curiously.

"Long story." He replied as he left. I shrugged and hit the elevator button. I watched the office area and noticed that Betty walked through the office area and to her desk, without taking notice of me. I watched as she picked up my sandwich and smiled. I had to admit, that it made me grin, watching her smile at my sandwich. Suddenly, I frowned. A tall nerdy guy stood beside her. That had to be Henry.

"Hey pal, are you taking the elevator or not?" I pudgy man asked. I nodded and entered the elevator, keeping my eye on her and Henry.

I started the engine and drove off, without the radio on. I began to think about Betty a little more and really felt bad for what I was doing. She did look happy on the outside, but something told me on the inside she was worried about something. I would just have to keep an eye on her. For now, I went home, plotting my next move to steal her heart. Wait, steal her heart? I meant…distract her from Henry for Charlie.


	6. Dancing with the Suarez Girls

_Lessons is getting harder for me to write, so please hang in there! It's hard to bring in the plot that's already happened. We'll see what happens...enjoy!:)_

Months passed since I had driven Betty to get the wheelchair for her boss. Within that time, I managed to play boyfriend to her, which I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed. I stood at a table that I had been meticulously cleaning when the phone rang.

"Gio's deli, whatever you want you get." I answered with our slogan. I had to admit that someday I wished that Betty would call just to feed her that line.

'Gio…its Charlie. Look, whatever plan that you have isn't working too well." She waited for me to respond.

"Charlie, I've been meaning to talk to you anyway." I walked into the walk-in fridge so I wouldn't be overheard. "I just can't do this anymore. What has Betty ever done to you?" I couldn't believe I was defending someone that annoyed the hell out of me.

"She took my Henry away from me." Charlie whined on the other line. I could tell that she genuinely loved Henry. Frankly, I couldn't see why these two girls were that into Henry. He was boring and if only I could find a sandwich to compare him to.

"Charlie, I really appreciate that you have asked me to do this for you, but I've gotten far too involved. She and I have become on and off again friends…unless we piss each other off which happens on occasion but…" I tried to explain.

"So you fell for her." She gathered. Whatever Charlie was thinking, it definitely wasn't there. Why would I start feeling things for Betty? Then again she was quick to catch onto my sarcasm and wit. She was incredibly clever, but never the type that I would go after.

"No, not at all. I just don't want to get involved. I'm sure things will work out for you. I have customers, so I have to go." I hung up on her, not really wanting to go through all of the details it would take to explain the situation.

Over the next several hours, I busted it working through lunch making a million sandwiches. After the rush of lunch, I started to look through my budget and instinctively, I looked up as the bell rang, indicating someone had entered the shop. It surprised me that it was her. Immediately, my face lit up.

"Betty, hi…didn't expect to see you here." I looked at her curiously.

"I need a favor." She said nervously.

"I could use a break. What can I do?" I asked. Really, I wanted to spend time with her. Even though I wasn't being pulled by Charlie's strings, I still felt the urge to be close to her.

"My sister, Hilda is starting her own hair salon and we needed to borrow your van. Do you mind if I borrow it for awhile?" she asked.

"No offense, but I don't trust you with my van. Let me drive you." I couldn't help but insist. I didn't mind her borrowing my van, but I wanted to spend some time with her.

"Oh…well…I guess that would be alright." She looked slightly uncomfortable as I finished with the budget sheet and she followed me to the van.

We rode in silence, except for her giving me directions to the house. It surprised me by how comfortable that Betty seemed to be around me. I couldn't help but grin as I picked up the heavy sink from my van and followed her into the house.

"Just put it over there." She demanded as she led the way and pointed to an open area. Hilda entered at that moment.

"You must be Gio. Betty talks so much about you." She said with a smile. I was taken aback by how good looking Hilda was. When I pictured her family, I didn't expect Hilda to look like that. However, when Betty was mentioned, all I could do was smile when I heard that she talked about me.

"Hilda, I don't talk about him that much." Betty brushed me off with her words and went into the kitchen. I immediately set to work on installing the sink. Hilda came in with some lemonade.

"Thank you for the lemonade, Hilda. Some people only call me when they need something." I looked over at Betty, trying to make her feel guilty as I took a sip from the lemonade. Hilda and Betty began talking about Henry and the special Saturdays they planned together. I laughed a loud.

"Oh and you think it's funny?" Betty snapped. Obviously, I had struck a nerve with her whenever I insulted her and Henry's relationship in the slightest.

"It's just…well if I knew I only had 4 months with a girl…I would do much more than movie night. Trust me, if there was any ice cream involved, I would be eating it off her stomach." I grinned at Betty as she gave me a look of disgust. Yet, I felt compelled to continue. "I would take her out dancing….we'd climb the fire escape…" I named as many romantic activities as I could. I had a good view of passionate ways to express my feelings. I looked over at both Suarez girls, who seemed to be dazing off.

"Time for some music." I turned on the radio and my instincts got the better of me, so I grabbed an unsuspecting Betty. "Come on, dance with me." She was hesitant, but gradually gave in. It felt nice to hold me. I would rather be closer, but for now, this was fine.

"Hey you guys are good together." Hilda commented. I had Betty smiling for the first time all afternoon as I spun her around and dipped her.

"Yeah, very good." I perplexed Henry stood in the doorway. Betty immediately withdrew from me and ran to Henry. This left me alone with Hilda.

"Can I get you a beer?" she asked. I nodded and a moment later she returned with one.

"Thanks." I took a sip. "So this is a nice place that you guys have here. Betty told me she lives with your father and son as well." I thought I'd be nice and start up a conversation.

"Yeah, it's just the four of us." She smiled at me and continued. "So listen, Gio…I haven't dated in a while…would you like to go out dancing with me Saturday night?" I saw Hilda blush a little.

"Sure, sounds like it would be fun." I responded. This could be my chance to find out more about Betty. "Thanks for the beer, Hilda. I really need to get back to my shop." I went to leave, but noticed that Henry was in peculiar clothes after getting sprayed with a busted pipe.

"Nice look Egg Salad." I commented as I watched Betty give me her normal look of annoyance. "See you around Betty." And with that, I left.

For the most part, Saturday night was fun with Hilda. I hated to admit that my face fell slightly when Hilda told me that Betty wasn't planning on coming. No doubt she was probably eating ice cream the boring way. During the fourth time dancing with Hilda, I saw her look over at the door.

"Betty! You came. We're having so much fun!" she announced happily as she drug me from the dance floor and to a table. We ordered a few drinks. I took a look at Henry who was sitting there uncomfortably.

"Hilda, would you like to dance again?" I asked, taking her by the hand and leading her to the dance floor. From the corner of my eye, I watched as Henry and Betty were having a heated argument about something. I stopped dancing when I noticed that Henry completely left Betty sitting at the table as he stormed off.

"Is Henry…normally…so moody?" I asked Hilda, who noticed the same event just take place.

"Oh Henry, well he's just upset that he only has four months left with her. He's never been one to take too many risks with Betty. He loves her though, and makes my sister happy." She smiled at me.

"Yeah but what kind of boyfriend isn't willing to try new things. I feel bad for Betty. She came all this way and Henry is acting like a jerk."

"I'm sure it's fine, Gio. Betty's a big girl and she can take care of herself." The song finished and we wandered over to the bar. I looked back over at the table and noticed that Betty was gone. My attention turned back to the dance floor and to my disappointment, Henry had managed to make amends with Betty and they were dancing on the floor. After the next song, they came over.

"Well, I think we're going to call it a night. We need some alone time." Betty happily told us as she took Henry by the hand and turned to leave. "Nice to see you Hilda, Gio." She smiled and left with Henry. I couldn't help but watch as they left. A part of my left once the two of them exited.

I was never the type to put up a show to make a girl jealous. I continued to think about that as I dropped Hilda off at her place. I couldn't deny that I had fun dancing with Hilda, but not the type of fun I was looking for.

"Well Hilda, I had fun. We'll have to do this again sometime." I said as I grabbed my jacket.

"I don't think so, Gio." She said sadly. I turned to look at her and wondered why she rejected me. She looked like she knew something that I didn't. "I don't think I'm the Suarez sister you want." It suddenly occurred to me that she hit the nail right on the head. Clearly, Hilda Suarez knew that I secretly had a thing for Betty. At that moment, it suddenly occurred to me that was the very reason I wanted to spend time with Betty Suarez. I realized that everything I did was to get Betty's attention.


End file.
